Editorial – News Digest w/e 25 Feb 2016

In this feature, we take a look a the news that has fed through our channels over the last week from around the world, which impacts on education, teaching or is just a little quirky. Click on the links to read the full story:

School bomb alerts are currently a worrying trend across the globe, with individuals thinking that false calls, and the chaos they ensue, are humorous. WTKR reported Sherwood Forest Elementary School was cleared by police on Wednesday after an hour of investigating what they called an unfounded bomb threat. Norfolk Police (USA) told NewsChannel 3 they received a call from a man making the threat towards an apartment building near the school, then Sherwood Forest Elementary School, then the apartment building.

The Independent reported a disturbing case in Egypt, where a four-year-old boy has been sentenced to life in prison for “committing murder” when he was aged just one.

Ahmed Mansour Karmi was not in court on Tuesday when he was convicted of four counts of murder, eight of attempted murder, one vandalisation of property and another count of threatening soldiers and police officers – all before his second birthday.

His attorney said, “The child Ahmed Mansour Karni’s birth certificate was presented after state security forces added his name to the list of accused, but then the case was transferred to the military court and the child was sentenced in absentia in an ensuing court hearing. This proves that the judge did not read the case”.

Faisal al-Sayd, told the Jerusalem Post the child’s name had been added to the list by mistake but the court did not pass Ahmed’s birth certificate on to the judge to prove he was born in September 2012.